Morne Morkel retires from International cricket as he guided his team to a 3-1 victory against Australia in the 4-match test series. He stood up after a press conference for the final time in Proteas colours on Tuesday and got applauded for his priceless services to South African cricket for 11 consecutive years.
“I would just like to say thank you so much. The last month, the last couple of weeks, have been exceptional,” he said. “I’ve to say thanks to my family, it’s been 12 years of a lot of support and tears and those sorts of things. To my team-mates as well, I could be the man I am today by playing the best of cultures, and it’s a fantastic environment. They have made it very, very special.”
He admitted there were a lot of things he would miss. “It’s tough to put in words this feeling, it’s very emotional, it’s been a great journey,’” he said. “I’m grateful for all opportunities I’ve been given. The mission was to beat the Aussies here, and it’s great to do that. It’s funny how things work out. The main thing is to keep working hard, always make most of the opportunities. I’ll miss this environment, I will miss this lot. I will miss playing in front of this crowd. But I am excited for the new guy who will step in. It’s been an unbelievable journey.”
“This series has been remarkable,” he said. “To get 80 wickets means your bowling unit is tough. You don’t always get an opportunity to beat Australia 3-1. It’s been a long summer, as Kagiso said, and it’s been a successful summer for the Test team. It’s a proud captain standing here.
“I’ve never seen our team so motivated after that first loss. The guys were hungry, especially the senior players, there was a hunger to make big performance, and get something out of the series.” he added.
Earlier, the pacer made it clear that demanding schedule was straining his family life and it was an extremely tough decision.
“I have a young family and a foreign wife, and the current demanding international schedule has put a lot of strain us. I have to put them first and this decision will only benefit us going forward,” he said.
Morkel, who made his international Test debut against India back in 2006, has played 86 matches in test, taking 309 wickets, making him the fifth highest wicket-taker for South Africa in the format.
He has also played 117 ODI’s and 44 T20’s for Proteas picking 188 and 47 wickets respectively.
Morkel won’t feature in this year’s IPL, as he went unsold in the auctions after being released by Kolkata Knight Riders.
